the forces tear loose from the acid

1

while I can be as tough on the Dead as anyone, I think this show is absolutely underrated and unfairly maligned. Maybe some of that is due to the mislabeling of the back end of the more popular source on here - Mr. Miller has cleared at least this date, 3/30, up with this source, although I guess we'll never really know...

"take a step back", if you will, from '68 altogether for a while, and then listen to this one completely at random - I think it travels the '68 path as well and as excitingly as any of the other shows we're fortunate to be able to listen to here on the archives - I'm not going to go after the sound quality here - it's fine, although I do wonder if this is indeed a sbd - it sounds like a *very* well-miked aud to me, but what do I know? :) It really is impossible to discern how many people are in the audience until after Lovelight - until then it almost sounds like they're playing to a completely empty hall or a studio - you have to tune your ear to that voodoo accordingly.

Jerry lays that OO out in the sun for a royal scorching, The Eleven soars right off the tracks, Lovelight has some really fun scat-style vocals from Pigpen and actually gets rather weird, Born Cross-Eyed into the Spanish Jam is everything we love about this era. Bummer about Death Don't being cut, but I'm more than happy with this hour+ ride we have.

The playing is a little flat, Jerry is hit or miss, and the sound varies from very rough to just rough. With that being said, it is a totally listenable recording of 1968 Dead... and mediocre 1968 Dead is better than almost anything else I can name. Well worth a listen!

It would be nice to have the rest of this show.

I've never been a big fan of this one. It certainly has its moments, but the sound quality leaves much to be desired, and the execution is not on par with the best music from this period.

Morning Dew does feature a terrific Garcia solo, but I'm entirely unimpressed by this rather sloppy performance of the Other One. The short Dark Star is one dimensional, and with the exception of Jerry's guitar play it's an uninspired performance, even for early '68.

The China Cat> Eleven medley lights up briefly, particularly during The Eleven. But whatever magic was transpiring on stage is lost in the troubled mixing of this recording.

While the highlight of this show is certainly the Born Cross Eyed> Spanish Jam suite, it's not nearly as cohesive as the renditions performed earlier in the year.

Other than Garcia's wailing guitar, I hear little else. Overall this is really just average at best, both in the quality of the performance and the recording. (93 pts)

Great run at the Carousel. Excellent performance here with a gorgeous Dark Star and the Born Cross-Eyed > Spanish Jam is a thing of beauty.

when the new miller versions of these shows came out (3/29-31) i was surprised to learn that they are soundboards, as i always assumed they were audience recordings, and, for auds from 1968 anyway, they were exceptional. being instead SBD's the sound is actually pretty muffled and distant, though it does give the shows a nice 'airy' quality.

anyways, i've always really liked this show. The Other One is tragically short, but very intense, and segues into Dark Star, imho the finest of the early (pre 8/68) versions. the Morning Dew and China Cat really sparkle too. and whats a '68 show without a spanish jam? check this one out, its worth hearing. and don't forget the 29th and 31st too...